Boutique Design - July/August 2015 - 44

APARTMENT KITCHEN

FRONT DESK

ROOst apaRtment HOtel
PhiladelPhia

Call it the Airbnb affect. The proliferation of sharing economy home-rental
services is spawning the creation of new kinds of commercially run
lodging concepts. One such newcomer is Philadelphia-based ROOST
Apartment Hotel, the brainchild of two veterans of that city's real estate
market: ceo Randall Cook, a former executive at Korman Communities,
and president David Grasso, a developer.
The first ROOST is housed on the fifth and sixth floors of the 1920s-era
Charles S.W. Packard Building in downtown Philadelphia. It features 27
units that are available on a weekly or monthly basis. "The concept is
designed for people either going through a transition or needing extendedstay accommodations," says Cook, whose company plans to open a second
ROOST locale in Philly later this year and is also eying possible expansion
to other cities. "We know both of those circumstances can be very difficult, and our goal is to make our customers' lives easier by offering accommodations that are like a well-appointed apartment."
Brought in to design those spaces was New York-based Morris Adjmi
Architects, whose hospitality work includes the acclaimed Wythe Hotel in
Brooklyn, N.Y. "We wanted staying at ROOST to be like having the keys to
a friend's apartment that you've always envied-a covetable but familiar
space with furniture, rugs and art hand-picked and collected over time,"
says Morris Adjmi, the firm's founder and principal. "And, just like a residential apartment development, no two ROOST units are the same."
In creating the project-which consist of four studios with 517 sq.-ft. of
space each; 18 one-bedroom units at 750 sq.-ft. apiece; four two-bedroom
units at just over 1,000 sq.-ft. each; and a 1,250-sq.-ft. penthouse-Adjmi
says he had pretty much a blank slate, as the floors housing the ROOST
units were formerly occupied by offices.
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boutiquedesign.com july + august 2015

Once the drop ceilings of those workspaces were removed, the
designers discovered ornate plaster ceilings that they restored to create an
elegant overhead environment. Under foot, Adjmi notes, his team had
hand-finished wood herringbone floor installed. "That floor looks and feels
like it's always been there," he says. Topping that wood in all the units are
colorful, 100-year-old Turkman rugs that add visual warmth to the space's
predominantly white surfaces.
Making kitchens that fit in the apartments' relatively small footprints
was one of the bigger challenges facing Adjmi. His solution: use a spacesaving galley layout.
"Within those spaces, we installed custom zinc-clad islands that
double as additional prep space and work surface," he says. "Visually, the
kitchen cabinets and counter appear monolithic, with the pale gray cabinetry intended to recede somewhat with the integrated appliances. The
overall look is a modern insertion intended to contrast with the historic
vibe of the ornate plaster ceilings and herringbone floors."
Beyond the apartments, Adjmi also updated the Packard building's lobby,
which ROOST shares with an existing condominium complex also housed
within the tower. "The original lobby walls had the same polished stone as
the floor, which was visually very busy and felt outdated for the ROOST
brand," says Adjmi. "We decided to pare the palette down, by making the
walls a crisper white plaster, honing the stone floors and softening the
color-while retaining the ornate crown moldings and ceiling coffers. As
contrast to these details, we inserted a 'stealth' custom-made blackened brass
desk and reception wall. As with the ROOST apartments, the result is a space
that blends the comfort and practicality of actual residences with the highend offerings and design sophistication of a boutique hotel."

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